Pickup Truck Mounted Toolbox

ABSTRACT

A pickup truck toolbox can be mounted to the bed side rails by feet rather than arms and may sit above the side rails and the bed volume, thus allowing use of the full volume of the bed between the side rails and the floor of the bed. It may have a rear view tunnel through it, whereby the driver may use normally the rear view mirror, and may have a Liddy light valley across the top, whereby the brake light will remain visible. The profile may match or sit within the profile of the cab of the truck, a fairing may be employed to improve fuel efficiency, and side-mounted vertical hatches may allow both easy access and the use of shelving.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This invention claims the priority and benefit of co-pending U.S. PatentApplication No. 61/964,000 filed Dec. 20, 2013 in the name of the sameinventor, Thomas Inard Reed III, and entitled “Topbox” of which theentire application including disclosures are incorporated herein byreference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH

This invention was not made under contract with an agency of the USGovernment, nor by any agency of the US Government.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever. 37 CFR 1.71(d).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to toolboxes, and specifically totoolboxes mounted behind the cabs of pickup trucks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Toolboxes for pickup truck usage are large boxes which extend into thebed volume of a pickup truck, that is, the toolbox sits projectingdownward between the side rails of the pickup truck bed, with a pair ofarms on the upper end which arms extend outward to sit upon the tops ofthe side rails of the bed.

Thus, a considerable amount of bed space is taken up.

An example of a conventional prior art pickup truck toolbox may be seenin FIG. 9, labeled PRIOR ART.

Cab 54 and bed 20 meet at the front end of the bed 20 and the toolbox isdisposed at that location. Arm 12 sits atop the side rails 10 of the bed20, however, the body of the toolbox extends downward into the bedvolume 20 until it comes to rest on the floor of the bed or perhaps onjust above the floor of the bed 20.

PRIOR ART FIG. 8 shows this as well: the toolbox extends completely intothe bed, preventing the use of the bed for storage. Thus the gate 203 atthe end of the bed must be opened for longer cargo, or the cargo must beplaced with one or both ends above the toolbox or gate, rendering thevehicle difficult to drive and offering the chance that the cargo (suchas motorcycle 114) might fall out.

Tonneau cover 14 may be seen to be opened and the prior art toolboxextends so far down into the bed volume that it is actually visibleUNDER the tonneau cover 14. It is worth noting that the tonneau cover 14must be shorter than the length of the bed 20 in order to allow for thelength of the toolbox.

Finally, it will be seen that the top-mounted hatch 50 opens upward.This means that a user of the toolbox must open the hatch and then reachdown in order to rummage for the desired tool. Obviously given theconfiguration seen, shelves would be difficult to employ since thetopmost shelf would block the view of all the lower shelves.

In alternative configurations, the top hatch is broken into two smallerhatches with are hinged at the middle of the width of the toolbox, sothey open upward from the side, not from the back of the toolbox.

It may be seen that having doors on the sides of the toolbox isimpossible, since they could not open due to the presence of the siderails, blocking them.

The toolbox shown could not be raised up and placed over the bed of thepickup truck for a number of reasons. First, it would entirely block theview of the driver to the rear, preventing any usage of the rear viewmirror. Second, it would prevent drivers and pedestrians behind thepickup from seeing the center high mounted brake light (not shown by theprior art FIG. 9). In addition, the arms which project from the top ofthe toolbox would not secure it to the sidewalls. Finally, the topopening hatch would no longer be accessible without climbing on top ofthe roof of the cab of the truck or by removing the tonneau to allowentering the bed and then walking forward to the toolbox.

Significantly, the toolbox forces the dedication of a substantialportion of the bed volume to itself. The toolbox is a very heavy deviceand it is not practical to frequently install and remove it: onceinstalled, it is nearly permanent. Thus the user loses a portion of thebenefit of having a pickup truck.

One example of an alternative type of toolbox may be found atwww.quickdrawtoolboxes.com, which shows a gun safe or tool box forplacement across the back of a flat bed or pickup truck. This type ofbox has a low profile to avoid interfering with the field of view of therear view mirror and to avoid blocking visibility of the third brakelight.

However, this box does not teach any way to increase the height safelyand thus to increase cargo capacity upward.

In addition, it has a sliding rack mechanism to bring out racks/bins(either gun racks in the gun embodiment, or tool bins in the others).This sliding mechanism is required in order to offer access to spacenear the centerline of the bed, but the mechanism comes at a cost inweight. It also takes up space within the box (which as noted cannot bevery tall for safety reasons), adds cost in manufacturing, and requiresa large amount of space on the side of the parked vehicle in order to beopened at all. Such mechanisms are subject to jamming, of course, ratherlike a kitchen drawer.

Worst of all, it is easy to imagine the sliding bin mechanism poppingout as the vehicle goes around a corner, after which the vehicle willhave a projection apparently in excess of four feet wide sticking outone side.

Finally, horizontal shelves are once again impossible in this design.

Thus it would be preferable to provide a pickup toolbox which does nottake up any bed space.

It would further be preferable to provide a pickup toolbox which doesnot require the use of a tonneau of a different size than the bedvolume's top surface.

It would further be preferable to provide a pickup toolbox which allowseasy access without rummaging downward.

It would further be preferable to provide a pickup toolbox which allowsthe use of shelving for tools, but without blocking the view of users.

It would further be preferable to provide a pickup toolbox which meetsall of these requirements and yet fulfills basic safety standards by NOTblocking the view of the third brake light.

It would further be preferable to provide a pickup toolbox which meetsall of these requirements and yet fulfills basic safety standards by NOTblocking the usage by the driver of the rear view mirror.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION General Summary

The present invention teaches a pickup truck toolbox which can bemounted to the bed side rails and sit well above them instead ofprojecting downward into the bed. The toolbox is secured to the top ofthe siderails by feet rather than arms, the feet disposed on the bottomof the toolbox. This allows for a wider box—since conventional boxesmust sit in between the side rails, they must be narrower than the siderails, whereas the toolbox of the present invention sits above the siderails and projects out to their edges in embodiments.

Since the present invention may sit above the side rails and the bedvolume, it occupies none of the space between the side rails thusallowing use of the full volume of the bed between the side rails andthe floor of the bed. By this means the cargo capacity of the pickuptruck is reduced by a smaller factor than for conventional toolboxes.

Since the toolbox sits above the side rails and behind the cab of thepickup truck, safety issues may arise, in particular from blockage ofeither the view of the driver when using the rear view mirror or fromblocking visibility of the center mounted third brake light to otherdrivers. However, the invention may have a rear view tunnel through thelower portions, whereby the driver may use normally the rear viewmirror, and may have a Liddy light valley across the top, whereby thebrake light will remain visible to others behind the vehicle.

Fuel efficiency is always an issue when discussing truck equipment. Inparticular, profile (meaning herein frontal profile or frontalcross-section) must be maintained to be within the original profile ofthe truck cab. The profile of the toolbox of the present invention maygenerally match, be similar to, or sit within, the profile of the cab ofthe truck.

Furthermore, a fairing may be employed to improve fuel efficiency byeliminating the space between the pickup cab and the toolbox and thuspreventing the swirl of air therebetween.

Side-mounted vertical hatches may allow both easier access thanconventional toolboxes for pickups which open upward. The side mountedvertical hatched even allow the use of shelving within the interiorspace of the toolbox of the invention, thus allowing superiororganization of tools and extremely efficient utilization of space, aswell as convenience of access. The shelves may be removable, so that alarger space can be created when necessary.

Summary in Reference to Claims

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention, in addition to those discussed previously, to provide atoolbox for use on a pickup truck having a cab profile, a rear viewmirror, a third brake light and a bed, the bed having two side railsseparated by a bed width, the toolbox comprising:

-   -   a body having a top surface, a height, a toolbox width, and a        plurality of feet disposed separated from one another by such        bed width;    -   the plurality of feet being dimensioned and configured to mount        atop such two side rails of such pickup truck bed, whereby such        toolbox is mount on such pickup truck suspended above such bed        and occupying no space within such bed.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a toolbox further comprising:

-   -   a channel across the top surface, the channel dimensioned and        configured to allow such third brake light of such pickup truck        to be visible despite the presence of the toolbox.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a toolbox wherein the toolbox is furtherdimensioned and configured to match, be similar to or sit within suchcab profile of such pickup truck, whereby aerodynamic drag of thetoolbox is minimized.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a toolbox further comprising: a toolbox-to-cabfairing extending from the toolbox to the cab.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a toolbox further comprising:

-   -   an undersurface, the undersurface having a rear-view tunnel        therethrough, the rear-view tunnel being dimensioned and        configured to allow usage of such rear view mirror.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a toolbox further comprising:

-   -   at least two side-mounted hatches, each side-hatch mounted        vertically on the body and dimensioned and configured to swing        open horizontally without causing any opening of the top        surface.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a toolbox further comprising: a door latch oneach side-mounted hatch.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a toolbox further comprising:

-   -   at least one removable shelf disposed within the body.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a toolbox wherein the feet are furtherdimensioned and configured to allow a vertical clearance between thebody and such side rails, whereby a tonneau cover may be mounted uponsuch side rails without being blocked by the toolbox.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a toolbox wherein the top surface furthercomprises:

-   -   a lifting top hatch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevated orthogonal view of a preferred embodiment of thetoolbox of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a low-elevation orthogonal view of the preferred embodiment ofthe toolbox of the invention with the back side removed to show theinterior, one side-mounted hatch open, and several removable shelvesdisplayed.

FIG. 3 is a partial low-elevation orthogonal view of the preferredembodiment of the toolbox of the invention with the back side removed toshow the interior with one removable shelf moved, creating a largerspace.

FIG. 4 is an oblique right-rear elevational view of a pickup truckhaving the device of the invention installed, with one side-mountedhatch open, showing the fact that the invention takes up none of the bedvolume between the side walls.

FIG. 5 an oblique right-rear elevational view of a pickup truck havingthe device of the invention installed, showing that a normal-sizedtonneau cover may be employed with the device installed withoutinterference.

FIG. 6 is a left-rear oblique elevational perspective view of analternative embodiment of the invention showing the space underneathavailable for cargo.

FIG. 7 is a partially cut-away side view of an embodiment of theinvention with another motorcycle for cargo, while FIG. 8 is a PRIOR ARTpartially cut-away side view (equivalent to FIG. 7 in view) but showingthe conventional toolbox in use compared to the toolbox of the inventionin FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a PRIOR ART diagram showing a conventional pickup trucktoolbox opening on the top and with a special tonneau cover which isshorter than the overall bed length.

FIG. 10 is a rear view of the invention showing clearly the relationshipof the tunnel, the rear-view mirror, the 3^(rd) brake light and theprofile of the device.

FIG. 11 is a rear view of the invention showing clearly the relationshipof the a channel which is deep enough to function as the tunnel, therear-view mirror, the 3^(rd) brake light and the profile of the devicestill substantially following the profile of the truck cab, as well asrear-view camera 308.

INDEX TO REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   Side rail 10-   Arm 12-   Tonneau cover (special size) 14-   Bed volume 20-   Top opening hatch 50-   Cab 54-   Conventional toolbox 99-   Body 100-   Motorcycle 114-   Motorcycle rear wheel 114 b-   Liddy light (CHSML) 120-   First embodiment 200-   Pickup 201-   Brake light valley 202-   Gate 203-   Side-mounted hatches 204 a, 204 b-   Door latches 206 a, 206 b-   Door spring lock 208-   Feet 210 a, 210 b-   Rear view tunnel 212-   Toolbox-to-cab fairing 214-   Side shelves left/right 216 a, 216 b-   Center shelf 218-   Horizontal motion of removable shelf 220-   Vertical space 222-   Truck bed (vacant) 224-   Sliding tonneau cover 226-   Body 300-   Top hatch 301-   Auxiliary brake lights 302-   Bed illumination light 304-   Wiring 306-   Camera 308

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Glossary

As used herein a toolbox is a container specialized for holding tools,having characteristics which suit it for this particular purpose andmake it preferable to general purpose containers. Thus most toolboxesare made of extremely durable materials such as sheet metal (and thetoolbox of the present invention is also made of sheet metal stock inthe preferred embodiment) or of extremely rugged polymers. For example,aluminum and steel and alloys of either one may be preferable. Toolboxesnormally have provisions for locking mechanisms to prevent theft oftools, usually have divided spaces to allow sorting of tools by type orsize and so on.

As used herein a pickup truck is a vehicle having a cab for humanoccupancy with a bed behind the cab. The bed normally is a large volumefor hauling cargo, the volume defined by the side walls on either side.Many pickup trucks in fact sacrifice a second row of seats in order toextend the bed and thus increase cargo capacity. In addition, pickuptrucks are distinguished from flat-bed trucks by having raisedside-rails on each side of the bed and separated by the width of thebed. The side-rails allow cargo to be secured more easily, and small,heavy cargo can even be placed into the truck bed without furthersecuring. Larger cargo, such as the motorcycle shown in the accompanyingfigures, may be secured by means of apertures or tie downs mounted onthe side rails. These rail apertures may also be used to receive thefeet of the present invention.

As used herein the term cab profile refers to the frontal view in botharea and shape of the cab portion of the pickup truck. This cab profilemay be seen in the accompanying diagrams. It will be appreciated that akey determiner of vehicular gasoline efficiency is frontal area andshape. In order to maximize fuel efficiency, the toolbox of the presentinvention is designed to mimic the cab profile both in frontal view areaand frontal view shape, as can be seen in the accompanying diagrams.Note that is a general mimicry only, as the rear-view tunnel, and thebrake light channel both alter the profile of the toolbox as shown inthe diagrams to be smaller than the profile of the cab depicted, and toremain within the cab profile. Thus the toolbox profile may exactlymatch, partially match, be similar to, or simply sit within, the profileof the cab of the pickup truck.

A rear view mirror for the present disclosure's purposes refers to thatmirror which is mounted within the cab and used to view either the bedof the pickup truck or the area behind the vehicle.

Usage of such rear view mirror refers to the ability of a vehicledriver, seated normally in the driver's seat of the cab, to look intothe mirror and see some or all of the normal view offered by the mirrordue to the presence of the rear view tunnel through the bottom surfaceof the body of the toolbox of the invention.

The rear view tunnel is an inverted channel, having a length and width,passing across the bottom surface of the body of the toolbox entirelyfrom front to back and thus allowing the normal usage of the rear viewmirror.

The “third brake light” or “Liddy light” (in honor of the individual whorequired their introduction) or technically the CHMSL, “center highmounted stop lamp” refers to a vehicular safety light used forindicating that the brake pedal has been pushed. In the past, twolights, mounted on the side rails at the rear end of the pickup truck,were normal. The third brake light, mounted upon the top, center, rearof the cab of a vehicle, added significantly to the visibility of suchlights and thus increased vehicular safety. It is estimated that thereduction in rear-end collisions may be as high as 5% due to Liddylights. Given the fact that car crashes in the US (all types, not justrear end collisions) kill 40,000 Americans per year, even a slightreduction in one type of crash is obviously cost effective.

For purposes of this application, feet are defined to be objects mountedon an objects' bottom surface which stabilize and/or attach the objectthe surface upon which it rests. Thus, the feet of the present inventionare dimensioned and configured to secure the body of the invention tothe side rails of the pickup truck, and to hold suspended out of the bedof the pickup truck so that the bottom surface of the body of thepresent invention does not subceed to the top of the side rails and thusnever enters the bed volume.

Vertical clearance: note that in the preferred embodiment of theinvention, the feet actually hold the bottom surface of the body of theinvention sufficiently above the height of the rails (verticalclearance) so that the invention does not impede the normal usage of atonneau cover for the bed.

The feet of the invention may fit the shape of the top of the siderails, or they may enter apertures on the side rails' top surfaces, ormay engage tie downs, all of which will be considered to be dimensionedand configured to secure to the side rails. Bolts, tie-downs, latches,holds, ties, chains, cables, fasteners and the like may be parts of thefeet or truck.

A channel is defined, for purposes of this invention, to be a depressionhaving both a length and a regular width. The width of the channelacross the top surface may advantageously be sufficient to allow thosebehind the pickup truck to see the Liddy light despite the presence ofthe raised toolbox of the invention. The length of the channel should besufficient for it to extend across the top surface from front to back,so as to avoid blocking the view of the CHMSL.

For purposes of this invention, a fairing is an aerodynamic devicedesigned to reduce drag. In the present invention, the toolbox-to-cabfairing is designed to cover a gap which would exist between the backside of the cab and front side of the body of the toolbox. (This gapexists because pickup truck beds are slightly separated from the back ofthe cab, and of course because the feet of the invention, resting on andsecured to the side rails, may require the body to be slightly removedfrom the cab.) Use of the fairing will prevent the formation of vorticesin which air is captured and swirled into the gap behind the cap.

A hatch refers to a doorway which may be opened to retrieve tools fromwithin the toolbox of the invention. A side-mounted hatch mountedvertically is a hatch specifically NOT opening up the top surface of theinvention but instead opening up the side of the invention. Note that onconventional pickup truck mounted toolboxes, locating such doors on theside of the body would be pointless as the sides of conventionaltoolboxes sit inside of the volume of the bed and up against theinterior sides of the side rails, and beyond being hard to reach wouldprobably be impossible to open.

A shelf, for purposes of this invention, is removable when a user mayeasily detach it and slide it sideways or remove from the toolboxentirely, thus ceasing to partition an interior body volume and insteadcreating a single larger volume.

End of Glossary

FIG. 1 is an elevated orthogonal view of a preferred embodiment of thetoolbox of the present invention. In the presently preferred embodimentand best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention, thefirst embodiment toolbox body 200 of the invention may have a brakelight valley 202 entirely crossing the top surface from front to backand thus rendering the third brake light visible behind the truck.

Side-mounted hatches 204 a and 204 b may be seen: 204 a is visible onthe outside, nearside, and closed. On the other hand hatch 204 b may beseen on the far side, visible on the inner side, and partially open.

The use of side-mounted hatched immediately renders the toolbox of theinvention convenient for access: the user may stand and look atapproximately chest height instead of bending over and rummaging atwaist height. Side access by means of the side hatches 204 a and 204 bfurthermore allows the use of shelving. Yet further, the user does nothave to lift side-mounted vertical hatches to open and close them: theweight of a conventional vertically opened hatch is surprising, and infact some prior art devices actually use gas shocks to aid the opening.

Door latches 206 a, 206 b may be seen, again from front and back sides.The latches lock, a virtual necessity, as theft rates on constructionand work sites can also be rather surprising and tools are quiteexpensive.

Rather than a gas shock or a prop, door spring lock 208 suffices for thevertically mounted hatches 204 a, 204 b. The spring may be rather longand flexible and may be secured at opposite ends to the interior side ofthe hatch and the interior of the toolbox. In use, this type of springmay be pulled and elongated to open the hatch, but when the hatch ispushed open to the point at which the spring bends against the hatchhinge, the spring 208 may begin to act to hold the door open.

The side rails of the pickup truck bed, which define the volume thereof,allow the bottom surface of the toolbox to support the toolbox bodyentirely outside (above) the bed volume. The bottom surface may thenhave bottom ends which may secure the toolbox to the siderails, or mayhave securing points thereon, which securing points may then support thetoolbox. Advantageously, the securing points may be feet.

Feet 210 a, 210 b may be seen and are instrumental in making theinvention useful. It will be understood that the feet secure to the topsof the side rails and may be dimensioned and configured to various typeof pickup truck hard points, which include but are not limited to tiedown, apertures, posts and other devices. The feet secure to the siderails at these points, or may secure to the side rail by clampingaction, or may simply be dimensioned and configured to match the contourof the top of the side rails. In general, the shape of the feet maydepend upon the exact model of pickup truck involved and the exact typeof securing arrangements it has.

In addition, pickup truck beds come in a variety of widths. The feet maybe disposed by a separation distance of the width of the bed. Thus fornarrower beds, the feet will be closer to the center, while for widerbeds the feet may be further apart. This may be accomplished withmovable feet, by having different models of toolboxes for differentpickups (one preferred embodiment) and in other ways.

Furthermore the feet 210 a and 210 b may provide a vertical clearancebetween the bottom of the box and the top of the side rails of the truckbed. This allows the use of rolling type tonneau covers without anychange to the toolbox. (Note that in alternative embodiments a liftingtype covers such as that shown in FIG. 9 (Prior Art) may be used with asloped bottom surface of the tool box to allow the tonneau to swing upunder the bottom of the toolbox, however, this is not the presentlypreferred embodiment.)

Rear view tunnel 212 is another safety factor. The rear view tunnel 212allows the driver to use the rear view mirror normally, and this normalusage provides inherent safety when backing up. This furthermore allowsa view of the cargo being carried in the bed. The tunnel shown is merelyexemplary, the tunnel can be of any useful width and profile. The“tunnel” may but does not need to be an actual aperture through thetoolbox body, it may, as shown, simply be a channel rather like a largermirror image of the brake light valley.

Toolbox-to-cab fairing 214 may be seen to help match the edge of thetoolbox 200 to the profile of a cab. Since a small gap will be normal(due to the small gap between the bed/the securing points on the siderails and the back side of the cab) wind as the truck drives will begenerated in a vortex which tries to swirl into the gap, increasingaerodynamic drag. A fairing, much like a fairing on an airplane orsports car, can prevent the swirl and the waste of energy.

FIG. 2 is a low-elevation orthogonal view of the preferred embodiment ofthe toolbox of the invention with the back side removed to show theinterior, one side-mounted hatch open, and several removable shelvesdisplayed. Side shelves 216 a, 216 b (left and right) are on both sidesof center shelf 218 and in the embodiment pictured actually combine tomake a single long shelf across the entire width of the toolbox. In thisview both the brake light valley and the rear view mirror tunnel may beseen clearly, as well as the ability of the toolbox to allow a widerange of customizations of the interior space. Obviously additionalshelves may be employed at lower or higher levels than the shelves 216a, 216 b shown. In addition, the shelves may reduced in number orentirely removed: FIG. 3 is a partial low-elevation orthogonal view ofthe preferred embodiment of the toolbox of the invention with the backside removed to show the interior with one removable shelf moved,creating a larger space. Horizontal motion of a removable shelf isdepicted by arrow 220 as a user simply removes one shelf and pushed itto rest on another shelf. It may be seen that this then creates aconsiderably larger, unitary vertical space 222.

FIG. 4 is an oblique right-rear elevational view of a pickup truck 201having the device of the invention installed, with one side-mountedhatch open, showing the fact that the invention takes up none of the bedvolume between the side walls. Truck bed 224 is seen to be vacant andcompletely available for cargo.

There is a trade off in terms of cargo space. While more bed volume isprocured by means of the present invention, the space above the bedvolume (above the side rails) is lost until the top of the toolbox isreached. However, in practical use, a pickup truck's bed volume, whichis secured by side rails and the rear gate 203 (FIG. 7), is much morelikely to be used on a daily basis, and is much more secure.

FIG. 5 an oblique right-rear elevational view of a pickup truck havingthe device of the invention installed, showing that a normal-sizedtonneau cover may be employed with the device installed withoutinterference. Sliding tonneau cover 226 sits underneath the device ofthe invention due to the vertical clearance provided by the feet 210 a,210 b (FIG. 1).

FIG. 6 is a left-rear oblique elevational perspective view of analternative embodiment of the invention. Body 100 is seen in place.Cargo such as a motorcycle rear wheel (FIG. 8) might project slightlyinto rear view tunnel 212, if necessary, and other cargo may use thelarger horizontal space under the rest of the toolbox and closer to thefloor of the bed volume.

FIG. 6 also displays some optional parts which may become the preferredembodiment and best mode.

Top hatch 301 may be located anywhere on the top surface, may have alatch, and may lock. It may be used to access wiring, it may be used toaccess another compartment or the main compartment, it maybe hinged invarious directions and may be any size from the full size of the toolboxdown to quite small.

Third brake light 302 may be seen to be mounted on the toolbox, and maynot be limited to a single light but can be several lights. Many modernpickup trucks have a wiring connector, for example, near the pickuptruck's third brake light, which provides power to an auxiliary brakelight mounted upon a camper, since campers tend to block the view of thethird brake light. This camper wiring harness may be used for thetoolbox of the present invention. Thus, the toolbox may have one or moreauxiliary brake lights 302 which are powered by a wiring connector 306which in turn is powered by the pickup truck's wiring connector. Thusthe present invention may be mounted, plugged into the truck'spre-existing wiring connector and immediately have one or moreadditional third brake lights.

One potentially useful combination would be to have at least oneauxiliary brake light mounted on each end of the toolbox, near the uppercorners of the back side.

Further alternative embodiments include the use of a bed illuminationlight 304. This light is similar to the brake lights but it would beused not while driving but to illuminate the bed at night or in thedark. This light 304 might be white, yellow, or daylight spectrum innature rather than being brake light color (which tends to be close tored). A switch may be provided.

FIG. 7 is a partially cut-away side view of an embodiment of theinvention with another motorcycle for cargo, while FIG. 8 is a PRIOR ARTpartially cut-away side view (equivalent to FIG. 7 in view) but showingthe conventional toolbox in use compared to the toolbox of the inventionin FIG. 7. Conventional toolbox 99 (PRIOR ART, for example FIG. 8) sitsdown inside of the bed of the pickup truck, absolutely removing theforward part of the bed volume as usable space. By comparison, the boxof the invention allows the use of that space and yet also allows formuch easier and more efficient access to the items within the toolbox.

In particular, be comparing FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 side-by-side it may beseen that the gate 203 is OPEN for the PRIOR ART in order to make spaceto precariously balance motorcycle rear-wheel 114 b, while for theinvention, the gate 203 is closed and the motorcycle rear-wheel issecurely disposed inside of it.

DODGE® and RAM® are trademarks whose owners are not associated with thepresent applicant. The present invention may be used with any type ofpickup truck, regardless of manufacturer or model.

FIG. 10 is a rear view of the invention showing clearly the relationshipof the tunnel, the rear-view mirror, the 3^(rd) brake light and theprofile of the device. In this embodiment of the device the body profileis still within the cab profile overall, but no longer closely followsit. Liddy light (CHSML, 3^(rd) brake light) 120 is plainly visible toany viewer, and the rear window of the cab is largely un-occluded.Importantly, rear view mirror 250 can be seen to have a clear field ofview to the rear. Testing by the inventor has determined thatproportions such as those shown in these diagrams are appropriate toprovide a rear field of view from the mirror. Due to the short distancefrom the driver's eyes to the fairly narrow rear view mirror, the tunnelneed to not be the entire width of the rear of the cab.

FIG. 11 is a rear view of the invention showing clearly the relationshipof the a channel which is deep enough to function as the tunnel, therear-view mirror, the 3^(rd) brake light and the profile of the devicestill substantially following the profile of the truck cab. Body 300 hasin this embodiment a channel which is deep enough to allow rear viewmirror 250 to be employed: the tunnel is inverted, comprising adeepening of the channel.

FIG. 11 also shows the camera 308. Rear view camera 308 may have adisplay (not shown) mounted in the cab of the truck, or may be usedwirelessly, by network etc. The rear view camera 308 may have a field ofview substantially similar to the field of view of the rear view mirror250.

The disclosure is provided to allow practice of the invention by thoseskilled in the art without undue experimentation, including the bestmode presently contemplated and the presently preferred embodiment.Nothing in this disclosure is to be taken to limit the scope of theinvention, which is susceptible to numerous alterations, equivalents andsubstitutions without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention. The scope of the invention is to be understood from theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A toolbox for use on a pickup truck having a cabprofile, a rear view mirror, a third brake light and a bed, the bedhaving two side rails separated by a bed width, the toolbox comprising:a body having a top surface, a bottom surface, a height, a toolboxwidth, and a plurality of bottom ends disposed separated from oneanother by such bed width; the plurality of bottom ends beingdimensioned and configured to mount atop such two side rails of suchpickup truck bed, whereby the toolbox is mount on such pickup trucksuspended above such bed, and a rear-view tunnel through the body, therear-view tunnel being dimensioned and configured to allow usage of suchrear view mirror.
 2. A toolbox for use on a pickup truck having a cabprofile, a rear view mirror, a third brake light and a bed, the bedhaving two side rails separated by a bed width, the bed side railsdefining a bed volume therebetween, the toolbox comprising: a bodyhaving a top surface, a height, a toolbox width, and a plurality ofsecuring points disposed separated from one another by such bed width;the plurality of securing points being dimensioned and configured tomount atop such two side rails of such pickup truck bed, whereby thetoolbox is mount on such pickup truck suspended above such bed andoccupying no space within such bed volume; a third brake lightvisibility feature.
 3. The toolbox of claim 1, wherein the securingpoints are feet.
 4. The toolbox of claim 3, wherein the third brakelight visibility feature further comprises: a channel across the topsurface, the channel dimensioned and configured to allow such thirdbrake light of such pickup truck to be visible despite the presence ofthe toolbox.
 5. The toolbox of claim 3, the pickup truck further havinga power output for an auxiliary brake light, and further wherein thethird brake light visibility feature further comprises: an electricalconnector to such power output, and at least one auxiliary brake lightattached to the toolbox and powered by the electrical connector.
 6. Thetoolbox of claim 3, wherein the toolbox is further dimensioned andconfigured to match such cab profile of such pickup truck, wherebyaerodynamic drag of the toolbox is minimized.
 7. The toolbox of claim 6,further comprising: a toolbox-to-cab fairing extending from the toolboxto the cab.
 8. The toolbox of claim 2, further comprising: a rear-viewcamera upon the body, the rear-view camera disposed so as to have afield of view similar to such rear view mirror.
 9. The toolbox of claim3, further comprising: at least two side-mounted hatches, eachside-hatch mounted vertically on the body and dimensioned and configuredto swing open horizontally without causing any opening of the topsurface.
 10. The toolbox of claim 9, further comprising: a door latch oneach side-mounted hatch.
 11. The toolbox of claim 3, further comprising:at least one removable shelf disposed within the body.
 12. The toolboxof claim 3, wherein the feet are further dimensioned and configured toallow a vertical clearance between the body and such side rails, wherebya tonneau cover may be mounted upon such side rails without beingblocked by the toolbox.
 13. The toolbox of claim 3, wherein the topsurface further comprises: a lifting top hatch.
 14. The toolbox of claim5, further comprising: a bed illumination light attached to the toolboxand disposed so as to illuminate such bed of such pickup truck, the bedillumination light also being attached powered by the electricalconnector.
 15. The toolbox of claim 1, further comprising: anundersurface, the undersurface having the rear-view tunnel therethrough.16. The toolbox of claim 4, wherein the channel is dimensioned andconfigured to allow use of such rear view mirror.